Recycling Center or Compactor?

[tmbrown97]

So this is a bit off-topic... but I've seen some woodworking threads in here and this is up that alley...

In our new home, there isn't a good place for a trash can. My intent was to convert one of the cupboards into a normal recycling center - 2 35gallon trash cans.

In my neck of the woods, we have just trash cans - they sort through everything for the recycling - there's no use in recycling ourselves.

Over the years we've noticed that our trash consumption has skyrocketed - both empty soda bottles; empty milk jugs; etc... I was just about to put in a nice recycling center when my wife sprung it on me that she thinks she'd prefer a compactor to reduce the size of our overall waste.

It's been a long time since I was a kid and we had a compactor as a family... so I'm asking the group here... anyone with experience one way or the other - what would you choose? A normal trash center, or a trash compactor? Please give me as much info as possible so my wife and I can discuss further - I want to execute one way or another as soon as possible

Thx!!

 

[video321]

I'm not sure I understand your intentions on this....do you have garbage pickup? If so, then why would you want to go through the expense and effort of installing a compactor? You're already lucky enough that you don't have to separate trash and recycleable materials.

 

[tmbrown97]

OK sorry - I wasn't as clear as I could've been.

I'm talking specifically about in the kitchen. I was just about to order this setup and make a pull-out trash can setup: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21765&filter=rev%2Da%2Dshelf - when my wife sprung it on me that she thinks she may want a trash compactor so we're not taking out the trash as often.

What I'm curious about from people who have the compactors - would you do it again? Do they smell; are they noisy; is it worth it (cost, hassles, etc)?

 

[Digger]

OK sorry - I wasn't as clear as I could've been.

I'm talking specifically about in the kitchen. I was just about to order this setup and make a pull-out trash can setup: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21765&filter=rev%2Da%2Dshelf - when my wife sprung it on me that she thinks she may want a trash compactor so we're not taking out the trash as often.

What I'm curious about from people who have the compactors - would you do it again? Do they smell; are they noisy; is it worth it (cost, hassles, etc)?

We use pull out trash cans like you linked to and have to empty them almost daily. One can for garbage the other recycling by us. In the winter or bad weather it is a lousy job that you tend to try and leave to the next person (we are all guilty of that in our house). Wife just made son empty the kitchen garbage as I was typing this and he was not happy.

A compactor might make it an every 3 or 4 day job depending on the size but you still need a garbage can since you can not compact everything from what I understand. Eventually you may be required to sort the recycling so keep that in mind whatever you do.

Look at how much work a compactor might be to install. Do you need a dedicated line (not sure and probably not), an emergency kill switch at the counter level?

I think they make special containers for the kitchen for food stuff that can be used to make compost. You throw food scraps (not meat though) into this container and then empty it every few days or more into the composter in your garden that you have to then rotate etc.

Might not be worth the hassle though unless you are really into gardening.

 

[Desert_AIP]

Our new house has a trash compaactor, our first ever.
At first I thought it was kind of gimmicky - I hadn't seen one since the late seventies-early eighties.
But since moving in and using it I really like it.
I only have to take out the trash about once a week. Before that it would be every day or two.

We recyle separately, but we have to put all our wet garbage in it because we are on septic.
It doesn't smell like I thought it might with the wet garbage, and the plastic lined paper bags don't leak.

It's not any louder than a dishwasher and it only runs less than a minute.

 

[gatchel]

I personally couldn't see taking out the trash once a week, regardless. By then, there is usually a decaying food smell or other noticeable smell. We are good for about 3 days or so before emptying.


I would save your money on the compactor unless you absolutely needed the extra trash space and are constantly at the limit of you trash pickup.

Just my $0.02.

 

[Neurorad]

We recycle pretty religiously, sorting and taking it to the local recycling dumpsters ourselves.

I think we have as much recycling as trash, factoring in all the cardboard, plastics, and glass.

The amount of kitchen trash is pretty small, once the recycling is removed. We typically empty the trash can once every few days.

How would you recycle, if you have a trash compactor? Would you need a separate bin for the recycling? We have 3 bins in our kitchen, for recycling - brown glass, plastics, and metal. Target plastic bags fit nicely into our bins. Clear and green glass gets carried to the garage, cardboard gets thrown down the basement steps.

4 Bins in garage for glass (2 for brown, 1 for green, 1 for clear), paper bags for aluminum and steel, contractor bags for plastic (durable, reusable). Giant box for holding cardboard. I visit the recycling center about once a month, takes about a half hour; 5 mins from our house.

You say someone sorts your trash, to remove the recycling? How does that work? If you separate the recycling, you'll have a lot less trash.

Trash pick up in our town is private. The companies want to charge a lot for recycling pick up, so I do it myself. I think they just throw the 'recycling' into a landfill, but just a hunch.

 

[potts.mike]

I have to take the trash out every couple of days and it's really annoying. In our house growin up we had a compactor and it was really nice not to have to take it out but maybe once a week ther was no smell to speak of and it runs less than a mimute so noise isnt really an issue it only jammed oncewhen a wine bottle was thrown in there When we remodel our kitchen I am putting one in.

 

[klindy]

What's your cities/municipalities policy with trash compactors? If they're sorting the trash themselves, I'll bet they don't want it all mashed together into a block the sized of a suitcase. I wish you were closer I'd give you our old compactor we removed recently. We installed a nice glass fronted wine cabinet in its place. Frankly we never used the compactor for anything other than 'trash bag' storage.